Delicious red lentil, pumpkin and lime pickle slow cooker soup recipe

This simple soup is gluten-free, vegan and full of vibrant flavour.

Lime (or mango) pickle is one of the tastiest things to have on hand - not only is it a spicy and sweet condiment to serve with curries, but it’s pretty good with crackers and cheddar too! A few tablespoons of chopped lime pickle stirred through a soup makes it dance with zesty flavour.

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 4 hours

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups (305g) split red lentils
• 6 cups (1.5 litres) salt-reduced vegetable stock
• 2 TBSP chopped Indian lime pickle
• 500g  pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 large tomato, finely chopped
• Handful mint leaves
• Handful dill sprigs

Method

• Heat your slow cooker to High.
• Combine the lentils, stock and lime pickle in the bowl of the slow cooker. Cover and cook for 2 hours.
• Working quickly to avoid losing too much heat, stir through the pumpkin and season generously with salt. Cover and cook for a further 2 hours, until both the lentils and pumpkin are soft. Turn the slow cooker down to Low and keep covered.
• Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over high heat. Add the onion and cook for 8–10 minutes, until golden. Stir in the cumin seeds and cook for 1 minute, until the cumin pops and sizzles.
• Tip the spicy onions into the soup and stir through, along with the chopped tomato.
• Add pepper to taste – and a little more salt, if needed.
• Serve the soup in small bowls, garnished with the herbs.

Recipe thanks to our friends at Eat Well.

From Healthy Slow Cooker by Ross Dobson, $42.99, published by Murdoch Books.